--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to be an actor ever since I got…" description: "\"I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the first time, aged 13. Before that, I thought I might follow in the medical footsteps of my par..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actors_i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-ever-since-i-got_2182896.jpg" --- # I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the… ![“I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the first time, aged 13. Before that, I thought I might follow in the medical footsteps of my parents: my father was a doctor, my mother a pharmacist.” quote by Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actors_i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-ever-since-i-got_2182896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actors_i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-ever-since-i-got_2182896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actors_i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-ever-since-i-got_2182896.jpg) > “I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the first time, aged 13. Before that, I thought I might follow in the medical footsteps of my parents: my father was a doctor, my mother a pharmacist.” [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early passion for acting can emerge unexpectedly, reshaping career paths. **In simple terms:** He discovered acting at 13, shifting from medicine. Key Takeaway Follow early passions even if they diverge from family expectations. Themes career change passion family expectations Mood reflective determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - theatre auditions - career counseling - parental conversations - educational planning Key Concepts identity formation risk taking Questions to Reflect On - What early interests have you ignored? - How can you honor family while pursuing personal dreams? A Different Perspective Family pressure can make career shifts difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Pharmacist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pharmacist/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think I discovered I wanted to be an actor when I got the first pay cheque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-think-i-discovered-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-when-i-got-the-first-pay/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [I never wanted to be an actor. I got stuck in it and kind of liked what I was doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-garner/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-got-stuck-in-it-and-kind-of-liked/) [James Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-garner/) > [I hung around New York and did a little stock-company stuff. I wasn't really sure at that time if I even wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bronson/i-hung-around-new-york-and-did-a-little-stock-company-stuff-i-wasn-t/) [Charles Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bronson/) > [I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-when-i-got-a-job/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [What drew me into being an actor was that I never got cast in the school plays - and it used to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/what-drew-me-into-being-an-actor-was-that-i-never-got-cast-in-the/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [I am a very blessed actor because I have always got the chance to portray various characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manini-mishra/i-am-a-very-blessed-actor-because-i-have-always-got-the-chance-to/) [Manini Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manini-mishra/) > [I made my living as a theater actor before I got my record deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lari-white/i-made-my-living-as-a-theater-actor-before-i-got-my-record-deal/) [Lari White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lari-white/) > [Before 'Sarkar,' I used to introduce myself as Kay Kay, the actor and then that got reduced to just Kay Kay as people realised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/before-sarkar-i-used-to-introduce-myself-as-kay-kay-the-actor-and/) [Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/) > [An actor's got a serious duty to perform. God's given him the gift to interpret his creatures. He has to do that honestly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saeed-jaffrey/an-actor-s-got-a-serious-duty-to-perform-god-s-given-him-the-gift-to/) [Saeed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saeed-jaffrey/) > [“Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and all. But my father and I have the sort of loving relationship in which, whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-sales/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-my-parents-and-all-but-my-father-and-i-have/) [Leila Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-sales/) > [Yeah, totally, you are in such good hands and I am so good with meeting parents. With the father, you know, you wanna flirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-green/yeah-totally-you-are-in-such-good-hands-and-i-am-so-good-with-meeting/) [Rachel Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-green/) > [I don't remember my parents together, ever: my father was much older, and really only interested in collecting magazines and bathroom suites; we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-yates/i-don-t-remember-my-parents-together-ever-my-father-was-much-older/) [Paula Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-yates/) > [The only people I owe an apology to are my dead parents. Except my father because he's still alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/the-only-people-i-owe-an-apology-to-are-my-dead-parents-except-my/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [My mother was the favorite child of her parents. My father was the favorite child of his parents. The result of these two favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/my-mother-was-the-favorite-child-of-her-parents-my-father-was-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [ My parents \[father Lenny Kravitz and Bonet\] did exactly what they wanted and didn't let anyone tell them not to. Now, as women, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/my-parents-father-lenny-kravitz-and-bonet-did-exactly-what-they/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) ## More by Chiwetel Ejiofor > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [There are many different ways the public can respond to actors - they can see you on TV and feel they know you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/there-are-many-different-ways-the-public-can-respond-to-actors-they/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I wouldnt be the same actor if I couldnt do theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-wouldnt-be-the-same-actor-if-i-couldnt-do-theater/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [It's a strange thing, but you get this click in your brain; the wonderful feeling that the entirety of a character is suddenly available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/it-s-a-strange-thing-but-you-get-this-click-in-your-brain-the/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [We always want to live in an environment where there's no artificial block to good work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/we-always-want-to-live-in-an-environment-where-there-s-no-artificial/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I do like sci-fi. When I was a kid, I was always sort of locked into sci-fi stories. So, sci-fi has always had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-do-like-sci-fi-when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-always-sort-of-locked-into/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Ive always liked the idea of being a father. And Ive always romanticised it, because I lost my father when I was young. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/ive-always-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-father-and-ive-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I've always liked the idea of being a father. And I've always romanticised it, because I lost my father when I was young. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-father-and-i-ve-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [My favorite thing to cook is anything that comes out okay. I'm very fond of certain pastas and sauces that I can just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/my-favorite-thing-to-cook-is-anything-that-comes-out-okay-i-m-very/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [It's hard to maintain a life when you do a play. You feel you have to pretend to go through a normal day, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/it-s-hard-to-maintain-a-life-when-you-do-a-play-you-feel-you-have-to/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Reporters tend to launch on what seems to be the clearest, most stark aspects of someone's life in terms of an interview.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/reporters-tend-to-launch-on-what-seems-to-be-the-clearest-most-stark/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Working in this industry, I do feel that science and creativity turned out to be a very useful combination for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/working-in-this-industry-i-do-feel-that-science-and-creativity-turned/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [The history of slavery and the complication of slavery is that it is an international concept. It is something that affected people who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/the-history-of-slavery-and-the-complication-of-slavery-is-that-it-is/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [All roads lead home in the end. You've got to keep that in mind always - in your work and in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/all-roads-lead-home-in-the-end-you-ve-got-to-keep-that-in-mind-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [That global poverty would end. That people would be able to eat. It's the worst shame in the world that people go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/that-global-poverty-would-end-that-people-would-be-able-to-eat-it-s/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) [Explore all 111 Chiwetel Ejiofor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the first time, aged 13. 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